The traditional warrior class and feudal lords of Nairs, Thiyyas and Ezhavas from Kerala, and Bunts and Hoysalas from Karnataka have been found to be genetically closer to populations of North-west India putting at rest their debatable genetic history.
While historians and written records relate them to migrants from Ahichhatra (Iron Age civilization) in the Gangetic plain, others relate them to Indo-Scythian clan migrants from North-West India. The recent high-throughput genetic study conducted by a team of researchers led by JC Bose Fellow at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and lead scientist Kumarasamy Thangaraj, have found answers to end the debate.
Researchers have analysed the DNA of 213 individuals of traditional warriors and feudal lord communities from South-west coast India. They looked for genome-wide autosomal markers and maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA markers, and compared their results with ancient and contemporary Eurasian populations ranging from the Bronze Age to present-day groups.
